Perry's Slate Sweeps To Victory

Jackson, Mathews Defeated

Perry's Team Prevails

September 12, 1991|By ANITA M. SELINE; Courant Staff Writer

C Hartford Mayor Carrie Saxon Perry and her slate of newcomers trounced the Democrats who have run the city in recent years, winning a victory in Wednesday's primary that will cause major repercussions in the city.

Perry's slate of council candidates beat their opponents -- the incumbent council members -- including Deputy Mayor I. Charles Mathews. Mathews led the city council through a tumultuous two years that included a huge tax increase, the hiring of a new city manager, and the introduction of a controversial restructuring of city services.

Perry beat the party-endorsed candidate Robert J. Jackson by an unofficial vote of 7,228 to 4,905.

The victory represents one in a series of periodic upheavals of the city's Democratic machine in Hartford. Perry and her team bucked the town committee in July to run a challenge campaign.

The challenge council candidates beat the incumbents by almost 2,000-vote margins, with strong showings in the North End and the Frog Hollow and Parkville neighborhoods, where the Puerto Rican population is growing.

They stayed even with the incumbent candidates in the West End, home of Council Majority Leader Geraldine P. Sullivan, where the incumbents had hoped to fare better.

About 30 percent of city Democrats voted. The turnout was slightly higher than the city's last two Democratic primaries, but did not reach the highs of the 1979 and 1981 races.

The leading council candidate on the challenge slate was Yolanda Castillo, the first listed on the ballot behind Perry, whose coattails were long enough to draw in her whole slate. Castillo recieved 6,602 votes, with her running mates running within 300 votes of her pace.

The slates' two South End candidates, Nicholas J. Fusco, an accountant, and Anthony F. DiPentima, a lawyer, placed second and third.

Though the winners on the Democratic primary are simply

the party's candidates in the November election, the party's dominance in the city makes the slate's defeat in November unlikely. Democrats hold a 7-to-1 edge in voter registration over Republicans in the city.

Henrietta Milward, who finished fourth in the field, said, "I've been talking to the people. They said they wanted a change." Milward said the council candidates will begin to work immediately on next year's budget. Other challenge candidates winning Wednesday were Fernando Comulada, a businessman, and Elizabeth H. Sheff, a lay minister.

"It's going to take a lot of patience, time and hard work. We are ready," said Milward, a registered nurse.

Perry rejected the party's endorsement in July to run with the six council candidates selected by her organization and other leaders such as Edwin Vargas, head of the Puerto Rican political action committee. This election is likely to make Vargas the main power-broker for the Puerto Rican community.

Her other supporters include familiar names in the city's politial landscape: former mayors Thirman L. Milner and George A. Athanson and former state Sen. Wilber G. Smith.

Perry's campaign was based on her desire to have a more influence on city policy. She charged that with the incumbents, she had been unable to institute her own initiatives.

The election may also affect the future of the city's party leaders, Democratic Chairwoman Mary Phil Guinan, and Jackson, the vice-chairman.

The council race focused on who would run the city better. The incumbents claimed that their message of keeping taxes down this year by cutting the city budget and laying off city workers would be supported by city voters. They said the challengers were too inexperienced to run city hall.

However, the challengers charged that those budget decisions were not fair to city residents. They vowed to run a more accessible, open government, criticizing the incumbents as arrogant. They have also been critical of City Manager Gene Shipman, and the slate's win may jeopardize his future in city hall.

But it was the incumbents' tough decisions, Mathews said Wednesday night, that seemed to make the difference in the voters' minds.

"We went through [property] revaluation, layoffs, major program reductions -- all those things that voters find difficult to accept," Mathews said. "It will be up to the mayor to prove to the city that she can in fact govern with a council of her own." Comulada and DiPentima both said Wednesday night that their first priority would be bringing together the city's different neighborhoods.

"We have to talk about getting the people together," Comulada said.

The council candidates said no decisions had been made about who would be the city's next deputy mayor, who, by city charter, is the leader of the council.

However, that may change in time as well. Perry and her slate have also advocated changing the city's charter to give the mayor a vote on council and to hold district elections for council.

Before the vote tallies came in, the moods in each of the campaign headquarters showed the difference in the race. At Capitol Hall, Perry supporters were jovial and happy. The story was much

different further south on Main Street, where party workers appeared grim, waiting for the results.

After it became evident that Perry's team had swept the election, elation reigned.

"I'm excited. I knew it. The people are what counts. The people were fired up. I knew we were going to win," said Castillo, amid wild celebration at Capitol Hall.

Losing candidates were philosophical about their loss.

"I thought quality would count. I feel for Hartford. We all have to stick by this slate because they are inexperienced," said incumbent Kathleen D. Collins, who finished 10th in the polling. "It's a new day. We have to give our support." Courant Staff Writers Rick Green and Debra Adams contributed to this story.